About

Osteopathy is both a science and an art form; each osteopath’s way of working reflects not only their training and experience but also their opinions and creativity. Some osteopathic training programmes are more “structural,” focusing primarily upon adjustment of the muscles and manipulation of joints. These “high velocity” techniques (HVT) often produce “cracking” sounds, especially when applied to the spine. Other osteopathic training programmes take a more holistic approach, teaching a wider array of the many different technique types developed by osteopaths over the last 160 years. Having trained full-time at two different osteopathic colleges, Brendan Harry uses all sorts of techniques (articulations, cranial, visceral, soft tissue, fascial, muscle energy techniques, exercise medicine and more) with the occasional HVT included when appropriate.

Sort of but not really. “Soft tissue techniques” are an important part of many osteopathic treatments, helping to reduce tension in the muscles and the fascia around them. At Seasons Osteopathy, we frequently use such techniques along with joint mobilisation and cranial osteopathy to improve the overall mobility of a body region  (e.g. the neck and shoulders). Because we’re combining massage-type techniques with other osteopathic methods, the knowledge, skills, aims and outcomes of any given treatment are different from those of massage. While you may feel relaxed after an osteopathic session as you would after a massage, the goal of osteopathy is to address the underlying cause of your symptoms.

Osteopathy and physical rehabilitation are complementary approaches. Osteopaths are experts at loosening up the body so that movement and circulation work better. On the other hand, physiotherapy and personal training are focused on supporting the body by building strength and increasing tension (“tone”) in the muscles. If your aches & pains are related to poor posture or muscle/joint dysfunctions, you likely have some areas of the body that are too tense (i.e. restricted motion) and others that are not tense enough (i.e. unstable or overstretched). If this is you, you may benefit from both osteopathy and physical rehabilitation.  With training in Sports Medicine, this is why at Seasons Osteopathy, we may prescribe stretching and exercise advice during your sessions to support you feeling both stronger and more mobile.

Many people are confused about this and for good reason. The simple answer is: “No.” The long answer is: “it depends on where the osteopath did their training.”

In England, UK-trained osteopaths are musculoskeletal specialists and Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) providing hands-on primary care. We are entitled to diagnose and treat many medical conditions but do not have the same practice rights and responsibilities as medical doctors (MDs).

In the United States, only “Doctors of Osteopathy” (DOs) have the legal right to call themselves osteopaths. They are graduates of osteopathic medical schools, which exist only in the USA. In the States, Canada and some 45 other countries, these American osteopaths are fully licensed physicians with all the same practice rights as medical doctors (MDs): they can prescribe medications, perform surgeries, and can pursue all the same medical specialisations as conventional doctors. As part of their medical training, they receive limited manual osteopathic training, usually performing less than half as many hands-on clinical hours as UK-trained osteopaths.

Both osteopathy and chiropractic were founded in the United States in the late 1800s. The founder of osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still, was a trained medical doctor who had grown skeptical of the crude drugs that formed the backbone of conventional medicine at the time. Over the course of a decade testing out different natural treatments, he realised that human anatomy is specially designed to regulate the functions of the body. From this he concluded that if any piece of anatomy is abnormal in its form or placement, this will cause dysfunction in the body, leading to illness. Above all, if abnormal anatomy constricted blood vessels or nerves, the nutrition and control signals that they transmit would struggle to reach their destinations. The deprived body tissues would then begin to malfunction.

Osteopathy therefore involves the evaluation and treatment of the entire body. Chiropractic on the other hand focuses on the spinal cord’s role in regulation of the rest of the body. So while the professions share some spinal manipulation techniques, osteopaths tend to evaluate and treat the entire body, incorporating spinal techniques in this process. By contrast, many chiropractors only manipulate the spine without evaluating and addressing dysfunctions in the rest of the body.